Promoting interest in science through inquiry-based learning in undergraduate linguistics: A case study

Nikole D Patson,Tessa Warren

doi:10.3765/plsa.v4i1.4499

Abstract

In an effort to broaden interest in science, STEM educators advocate for the use of inquiry-based pedagogies. These pedagogies actively engage students in the scientific process, thereby increasing students' scientific literacy, as well as their confidence and interest in science. Although inquiry has been widely implemented in canonical STEM-related fields, students in linguistics, a scientific discipline, can likewise benefit from these approaches. This paper presents a case study of the implementation of inquiry through guided discussion in an undergraduate course in psycholinguistics. Results indicated that students rated the inquiry course as more stimulating/engaging and rated their learning and desire to continue learning as higher.

Highlights

The field of linguistics often takes a scientific approach to studying the nature of language, most people would not include linguistics in their canonical conception of science
The goal of this paper is to present evidence that inquiry-based teaching methods can be successfully incorporated into a linguistics course
This paper describes an undergraduate course in psycholinguistics that implements inquiry-based teaching through a guided discussion

Summary

Introduction

The field of linguistics often takes a scientific approach to studying the nature of language, most people would not include linguistics in their canonical conception of science. Inquiry-based teaching methods are commonly used in the natural sciences (but see, Zachery, 1998 for an example in Psychology) They have been shown to increase students understanding of the scientific method and critical thinking abilities compared to more traditional methods of instruction (e.g., Casem, 2006; Chaplin, 2003; Domin, 1999; Gormally et al, 2009; Howard & Miskowski, 2005; Kogan & Laursen, 2014; Russell & French, 2002; Siritunga et al, 2012). The final section discusses the implications of using inquiry-based practices in linguistics education

Background

Findings

Conclusions